Genius
by Snark-N-Moon
Summary: A Megavolt story that isn't a story and doesn't actually go anywhere. With a title pic that also leads to nowhere.


The city of St. Canard lay dark on the moonless summer night; the bustling populace had dwindled in numbers as the light ebbed away into night, leaving only a few cars to speed down the cooling paved roads. Some headed off to work for the graveyard shift, others just out for a Friday night on the town, and still others rushing home to face wives who have wondered where they'd been so late.

Most windows were dark this time of night, leaving the shadows to turn the blackened windows into illusions of soulless, haunted eyes. But in one part of town, one particular apartment building shone enough light out of its grimy window to light up the whole street, despite the fact that the bulbs of the street lights in that part of town had long been stolen.

The small apartment room was cluttered with boxes and boxes of looted light bulbs, stereo antennas, loose wires, digital clocks, radios, and countless other electrical odds, ends and doodads. The floor was littered with dirty plates, crumpled up pieces of paper, left socks and even a paper airplane or two. Lamps of all shapes and sizes burned brightly in every nook and cranny, as if trying to extinguish every shadow that dared creep into the place.

Sitting in the very middle of all this chaos sat a complicated hunk of machinery, its cool metal gleaming in the bright lights that surrounded it. Sitting beside the unusual machine was none other than Megavolt, St. Canard's own residential loony live wire.

Earlier in the night, this super charged super villain had been raving to himself, and to his eager friends about how ingenious this new invention was going to be, how there was no way THIS one could fail, and how much of a genius he was for inventing it. How could he have been so blind before? How could he not have seen it before? It was all so simple!

But that had been hours ago. Now, Megavolt sat staring blankly at this unfamiliar creation that sat in front of him, gleaming, sneering, mocking him with its complexity. What WAS this thing? What was it supposed to DO? He knew it was his, he knew he had been in the process of building it, and he knew it was something great. Or was going to be. But, like so many times before, the superhuman flow of increased brain activity had suddenly ceased to fire off, and he was left feeling mentally exhausted, frustrated and mildly confused.

That's how it often was with him. Sure, having every cell in his body, in his BRAIN, super charged, had left his already brilliant mind to work at above normal capacity, but electrical charges were fickle things. One moment they were firing off at rapid speed, at levels that would drive anyone crazy, the world's most complicated and complex scientific equations outlined so simply it made him wonder just why the scientists of the world just couldn't figure them out. Nuclear fusion, cold fusion, a whole NEW theory of relativity, things like these raced through the rodent's mind all at once, the incredible flow of unadulterated knowledge both filling him with a sick thrill and at the same time securing his place in madness.

It was during these times, which lasted anywhere from minutes to days, in which Megavolt began to work feverishly to create every invention idea that zipped through his mind. As a result, he ended up with quite a few inventions left unfinished and forgotten; ideas didn't often stick before they were gone and replaced with even more ingenious ideas and designs.

Unfortunately, these ideas and designs were not thought up with bettering the lives of those around him in mind; in his feverish and maddening state, he was bent on revenge against people and a better world for himself and his fellow luminary comrades.

But after awhile, the rapid firing cells in his brain always sparked out, leaving his mind to what the accident had inevitably reduced him to; a burnt out basket case. His brain only shooting off what it had to to keep him functioning properly, often times causing him for forget things he'd known his whole life, sometimes even forgetting who or what he was.

These moments rarely lasted very long, as it merely served as a cool down time for his previously overworked brain, and soon he'd be back to his normal self.

Well, 'normal' is relative, anyway.

Megavolt spent his life between two different personalities. He was two people; Megavolt, and Elmo Sputterspark. Megavolt surfaced when he was feeling powerful, and when his mind buzzed with new ideas, new ways to take what was rightfully his. Slinking through the shadows of night, pilfering odds and ends for his experiments, exchanging blows and witty comebacks with his arch rival, Darkwing Duck, laughing manically as powerful electricity spilled from his fingertips. He was powerful, he was fearless, he was Megavolt.

And yet, a part of him would never be Megavolt. A part of him would always be meek, friendly, just looking for friendship, and maybe a bit of understanding. Under all of the hype of a super-charged super villain, he would always be that awkward little high school nerd. When others reached out to him, he couldn't help but recede back into who he once was. His Megavolt persona gone in exchange for companionship; even if that meant working together with his worst enemy. His witty bantering quips reduced to socially inept, often times moronic statements. He was awkward, he was friendly, he was gullible and he was clumsy. He was Elmo.

Megavolt came back to himself as he started out his window. He didn't quite remember when he had moved from the floor to the chair that sat facing the single window of his shabby apartment room, but that was often the case when he found himself lost in thought. His head rested in his palm as he lazily spun the wrench he was been working with earlier around on the dusty window sill. He blinked slowly as he gazed out into the darkness, and he shuddered. He'd always hated the dark. The dark was confining, disorienting. As a villain of the night, he'd learned to make good use of full moon nights. But tonight, the moon was nowhere to be found. Nights like these, Megavolt tended to stay at home. Where ever 'home' happened to be at that time.

A sultry voice that only he could hear shook him from his thoughts. "Perhaps you should go to bed, darling. The sun will be up soon, and you've done so much tonight. You need your rest."

Megavolt's melancholy stupor was suddenly taken over by a cold wave of anger and frustration. He gritted his teeth and growled, and the wrench flew across the room, shattering a vase filled with plugs and wires all over the floor. Both fists pounded upon the sill and he stood up abruptly.

"Oh REALLY! What HAVE I done? Nothing! I've accomplished NOTHING!" His fists were clutched tightly at his sides and he spun around to bring himself back into his world of light. His mismatched eyes darted back and forth across the room, daring anyone to challenge him. No one did.

His gaze fell upon his invention in the middle of the room and his mood softened. "Well, maybe something..." he slowly made his way over to his baby, and fell to his knees beside it with an exasperated sigh. He ran his gloved hand over its smooth surface before pressing his cheek against the cool metal and nuzzling it. After a bit he pulled away and looked at his invention lovingly. "You and me, baby. We'll have this city in the palm of our hands! Just as soon as I remember what it is you do..."

Megavolt suddenly felt exhausted. He yawned loudly and stretched before eying the old mattress in the far corner of the room. He got to his feet and trudged over to it, collapsing onto it and curling up on it. He tossed and turned a few times until finally he remembered what was missing. Now in a sitting position, he reached up and grabbed the glass table lamp from off the nearby stand. The base was pink with red polka dots painted onto the smooth surface. It was the one who had told the rodent he should go to bed. He smiled and then kissed it awkwardly. The lamp giggled and shut off her light, signaling she was ready for bed, too. Megavolt snuggled down under his ratty blanket, cuddled his companion to his chest and eventually drifted off to sleep.


End file.
